Chapter 7 - The Interrogation of Teresa
In the adjacent interrogation room, my mother, Teresa, sat with her hands folded neatly over her black mourning dress. Her expression was a mask of cold, unyielding defiance. She refused to look at the recording light mounted in the corner of the ceiling.
I pulled out a chair, sat down directly across from her, and slid the transcript of Derek’s confession onto the metal table.
Teresa glanced at the first page, her lip curling in a bitter sneer. “That spineless coward. He couldn't even hold his nerve for twelve hours.”
“He told us everything, Mom,” I said quietly, staring straight into her eyes. “The forged deeds, Mr. Sterling’s wire transfers, the conspiracy to murder Clara for the St. Claire estate. It’s all documented.”
Teresa let out a sharp, dry laugh, leaning back in her metal chair. “You think you’re so smart, Alex, don’t you? You think because you worked your way up at Sterling Capital, you understand how the real world works. That estate was supposed to be mine by birthright! Your grandmother Eleanor was out of her mind when she bypassed me and handed millions of dollars of coastal property to an outsider like Clara—a schoolteacher with no bloodline grit!”
“Clara was my wife,” I whispered, my fists clenching so hard my nails dug into my palms. “She gave you a granddaughter. And you treated her like an obstacle to be cleared off a balance sheet.”
“She was weak!” Teresa hissed, leaning forward over the table, her eyes flashing with a lifetime of festering greed. “Just like your father, sitting in his wheelchair pretending he couldn't warn anyone—though the old fool tried his best at the end, didn't he? We did what had to be done to secure our family’s future. Julian Sterling understood that. Power requires sacrifice.”
May you like
“Power isn't going to save you from federal prison, Mom,” I said, standing up and buttoning my coat. “Your trial starts next month. And for the record... you’re cut out of the family legacy permanently.”
As Chief Miller escorted her back to her cell, Teresa’s furious shrieks of betrayal bounced off the concrete walls. The domestic front was secure. Now, it was time to dismantle the corporate empire.
